Surprised at the Quality of New Revolver

[Invictus357]

I have a fairly new 629.

It's just as good by every measure of the Smiths I shot as a teenager 40 years ago.

 

[AlphaSig]

Good to hear some positives on the newer models. Only thing I really don't like is the look created on the newer models longer slanted underlugs. Maybe they had to do that because of weight balance for recoil ?(does anyone know?), but the older models shorter slanted underlugs sure looked wickedly S&W A+ better imo....

 

[scout II]

A Model 57 and a Model 58 WITH storage locks? Please post a photograph.

Kevin

Here are a few not so good pictures. I bought these all new when they were still on the CA gun roster when I lived there.
I didn't like the new style target grips on the model 57-6, so I installed some nice target grips from a 1980's model 57. I do like the looks of the 5 screws on the 57-6 and 58-1.
I forgot about my model 57-5 Mountain Gun having a lock also. These are all great shooting guns.

 

[riverrat38]

I recently bought a new M10-14 Classic. It appears to be perfect in all respects. Fit and finish. B-C gap is .005" and lockup is tight. DA trigger is heavy, but very smooth. Shoots as well as I can. If I could change anything, it would be a 3" barrel revolver, and I really don't have any use for the IL, so I don't use it.

73,
Rick

 

[ImDrRich]

Our generation is eventually going to die off (hopefully not too soon) and the next generation of shooters will grow up with locks on their S&Ws.

Im betting they won't give a damn.

 

[M29since14]

The lock, and opinions others have of it, doesn't really concern me. I don't particularly like it, especially in J-frames, but I can ignore it, easily. I'd guess the 69 was a "Friday afternoon" gun, or maybe you just spotted a 629 than was assembled by one of the company's better "gunsmiths." Who knows? The results could easily be reversed the next time you see two different guns. By far most of the comments I have seen on the Model 69s have been favorable.

 

[StrawHat]

…Here are a few not so good pictures. I bought these all new when they were still on the CA gun roster when I lived there.
I didn't like the new style target grips on the model 57-6, so I installed some nice target grips from a 1980's model 57. I do like the looks of the 5 screws on the 57-6 and 58-1.
I forgot about my model 57-5 Mountain Gun having a lock also. These are all great shooting guns…

Thank you for posting that photo and updating me on the Models 57 and 58. I tend to follow the 45 ACP revolvers and was not aware those two Models had progressed beyond -1!

I come here to share knowledge and to learn. Today, I learned! Thank you again,

Kevin

 

[MB3845]

My M69 had the absolute best out of the box trigger of any gun I have owned. All I did was pop off the side plate, flush out any grime and grit, re-lube and proceed to enjoy. Barrell has a few tooling marks but so far has shot well with anything I've tried in it.

 

[Boxhead]

While I am not a fan and own none I have two sons that own them and have had zero issues and just me fiddling with them clearly shows Smith quality. They are accurate. That said, I have been able to find non-lock pieces at, and often well below, locked pieces so that's where I will continue to roll.

 

[sikacz]

This conversation has helped me conclude, I will buy the the gun I'm looking for with or without a lock. I have a model I'm looking for in a particular caliber, if the condition is good, and the caliber what I want then it will come home with me . LoL.

 

[Hawg Rider]

Forty or Fifty years from now...

I prefer vintage S&W revolvers (particularly P&R N-frames), and they make up the majority of my modest collection. I do have a couple of Internal Lock models (642-2 and 627-5), and although I don't particularly like the aesthetics of the IL, they are excellent and dependable shooters. I wonder if all the newer models, including the new Classics, will hold their value or appreciate over the next 40 or 50 years like the vintage Smiths have appreciated. We are all only temporary caretakers for those revolvers and they will eventually be recirculated, so all those vintage revolvers should still be around in future years along with all the new models. Many of us won't be around to see what happens, but it would be interesting to observe.

 

[stansdds]

This conversation has helped me conclude, I will buy the the gun I'm looking for with or without a lock. I have a model I'm looking for in a particular caliber, if the condition is good, and the caliber what I want then it will come home with me . LoL.

Every firearm is a rule unto itself. Some will be stellar, some will be good, some should have never left the factory. That's the way it was and is.

I do think the most recently produced firearms from most manufacturers should be given close scrutiny before purchasing. As a result of the panic that has persisted for two years now, so many firearms and ammo manufacturers have been trying to make as many things as possible, usually with reduced staffing, in order to meet demand. This is a recipe for poorly made firearms and ammo to leave the factory. In other words, the buyer needs to exercise due diligence when considering a purchase.

 

[sikacz]

Every firearm is a rule unto itself. Some will be stellar, some will be good, some should have never left the factory. That's the way it was and is.

I do think the most recently produced firearms from most manufacturers should be given close scrutiny before purchasing. As a result of the panic that has persisted for two years now, so many firearms and ammo manufacturers have been trying to make as many things as possible, usually with reduced staffing, in order to meet demand. This is a recipe for poorly made firearms and ammo to leave the factory. In other words, the buyer needs to exercise due diligence when considering a purchase.

Good point. Periods like the last two years could be problematic. Luckily my current hunt item is not in production. I have not been able to figure exactly when it stopped, but I suspect it was pre-pandemic. Always check quality if one can when buying. That's not always possible when buying used and used is what it is. It may take some time to see if this past two years produced good or bad products

 

[Ackley1952]

We start to talk about the finish called blue but looks more like a krylon paint on. If the current blueing was that deep deep job the lock might not show up. I'm already allergic to polymer and starting to feel queezy being subjected to steady diet of stainless. Am I the only one that remembers that deep blue ?

 

[stansdds]

We start to talk about the finish called blue but looks more like a krylon paint on. If the current blueing was that deep deep job the lock might not show up. I'm already allergic to polymer and starting to feel queezy being subjected to steady diet of stainless. Am I the only one that remembers that deep blue ?

If you are speaking of the blued finish on S&W revolvers, it is not sprayed on, it is a type of blueing.

Pre-1980 S&W's had the famous Carbonia blue, which produced that classic, deep, brilliant blued finish. In 1980, S&W switched to black oxide bluing, which is what a great many firearms manufacturers used. It produced a darker blue. Around year 2000, S&W switched to an EPA friendly black oxide process. This new process produces a very black finish, but it lacks the appearance of depth and exposure to ammonia or ammoniated compounds found in so many solvents will turn it a plum color.

 

[damienph]

I currently have 12 S&W revolvers including 3 with the lock. My experience with the lock is limited to those three but they have never caused me any problems. The keys are still in the boxes and the locks have never (and probably never will be) engaged.

Top to bottom

27-9, 360J, 342-1

 

[daveyc]

I have a few current "lock" revolvers and they all function just fine. from an aesthetics standpoint, the loss of the hammer-mounted firing pin offends me more than the lock.